Category: Truck Series PR

Race Advance – UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics | Bristol Motor Speedway (200 Laps / 106.6 Miles)
Thursday, September 15 | Bristol, Tenn. | 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Bayley Currey (Driftwood, Texas) | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @BayleyCurrey

Currey on Thursday night’s race at Bristol: “I’m looking forward to pulling double-duty with Niece Motorsports again this week in Bristol and thankful for another opportunity in the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado. We brought a strong truck to Kansas last weekend and played the strategy into our favor, and hopefully we have a better result to show for it Thursday night.”

Currey at Bristol Motor Speedway: Currey makes his eighth NASCAR National Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday night and his second Truck Series start at the half-mile oval. He has two Cup Series starts, four Xfinity Series starts, and one Truck Series starts over the past five seasons.

Currey makes his 32nd NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start and 13th start with Niece Motorsports Thursday night.

In his 30 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Currey owns an average finish of 23.5 with a pair of top-10 finishes coming at Phoenix (2017) and Michigan (2019).

On the Truck: Currey will pilot the No. 44 Niece Equipment Chevrolet Silverado Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

About Niece Motorsports

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

Race Advance – UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics | Bristol Motor Speedway (200 Laps / 106.6 Miles)
Thursday, September 15 | Bristol, Tenn. | 9 p.m. ET
TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90
Team: No. 40 Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Dean Thompson (Anaheim, Calif.) | Crew Chief: Ryan Salomon
Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @deanthompsonr

Thompson on Thursday night’s race at Bristol: “Our No. 40 Worldwide Express team is looking forward to going back to Bristol this week after our strong run there back in April. We’re confident in the Chevrolet Silverado that our team has been working on over the past few weeks and hopefully we can run a few spots better Thursday night to have us competing for a top-10.”

Thompson at Bristol Motor Speedway: Thompson makes his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday night and his first on the concrete surface. He ran to a 16th-place finish after starting 27th on the dirt in April.

On the Truck: Thompson will pilot the No. 40 Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers Chevrolet Silverado Thursday night at Bristol.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About Worldwide Express

Worldwide Express, LLC, is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. The family of brands, comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, serve more than 115,000 customers spanning from small and mid-size businesses to larger enterprises, with unmatched carrier options and strategic guidance for their supply chains.

With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $5 billion, the company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the country. Through a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, and powered by proprietary technology, clients benefit from an award-winning, relationship-backed approach to solving their shipping needs. To learn more about the brands, visit wwexracing.com.

Follow Dean Thompson on Instagram and on the web: @deankthompson / deanthompsonr.com

Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 Crescent Tools Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: UNOH 200, Race 20 of 23 (Race 1 in the Round of 8)
200 Laps – 55/55/90; 106.6 Miles
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (half-mile concrete oval)
Date/Broadcast: Sept. 15, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:

Corey Heim and the No. 51 Crescent Tools team head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the opening race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s playoffs. Heim propelled the team to the next round with three top-10 finishes in the Round of 10, putting them 33 points above the cutoff line for advancing. Overall, the Georgia driver has put together a stretch of four consecutive top-10 finishes, including his seventh-place result last week at Kansas Speedway. With the points reset to start this round, the No. 51 team sits sixth on the playoff grid, four points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4.

The No. 51 team qualified for the owner’s portion of the playoffs via Heim’s two wins this season (Atlanta Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway). They are tied with the No. 18 and No. 38 teams with a series-leading three wins this season. In addition to Heim’s two wins, Kyle Busch was victorious at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. The No. 51 team has captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship three times (2013-2014 & 2019) and as on organization KBM has collected a series-record seven owner’s titles.

Thursday night’s 200-lap event will mark Heim’s first Truck Series start at the half-mile oval. He has one ARCA Menards Series start at Bristol, a fifth-place result in last year’s race. Heim finished third in the 100-lap Super Late Model feature at the U.S. Nationals at Bristol in 2018.

Across 12 Truck Series starts this season, Heim has produced two wins, two poles, 64 laps led, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.8. The Georgia driver picked up his first career Truck Series victory in just his fifth start earlier this season at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March and was also victorious in June at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.

Heim leads the Truck Series rookie of the year standings by 124 points over Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015). Overall, Heim sits 15th in the driver point standings, despite only starting 12 of the 19 events, and is ahead of six full-time competitors.

On Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Heim picked up his ninth career ARCA Menards Series victory. Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts he has produced 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

Mardy Lindley returned to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. Lindley has led his team to six wins since coming to KBM at the start of the 2021 season, including two with Heim and one with Kyle Busch this year. In 2021, his drivers produced three victories, two with Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Lindley’s drivers have an average finish of 27.5 across two Truck Series starts at Bristol.

Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro Thursday night and for two more races this season. JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, returns for their final race of the season at Talladega (Ala.) Motor Speedway.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:
The No. 51 team starts the Round of 8 four points below the cutoff line for advancing the Championship 4. What is it going to take to advance?
“It’s going to take a good effort from everyone on this No. 51 crew. Kyle Busch Motorsports has been giving me great Tundras, I think executing at the track is the last piece of the puzzle.”

You’ve raced ARCA and Late Models at Bristol, but this will be your first start in a truck at Bristol. How much different will the racing in the Truck Series at Bristol be?
“Running the truck at Bristol will definitely be a challenge, with all of the experienced drivers on a technical racetrack like that.
Regardless of that I’m really excited to see how I fare against the field.”

You won the ARCA race at Kansas on Sunday. Even though it’s not in the same series, can you build off that momentum heading to Bristol for the Truck Series race Thursday night?
“Anytime I can get some momentum I definitely think it helps. Kansas was good in both the arca and the truck, and the extra seat time should help me knock the rust off and get right up to speed at Bristol.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

• Picked up first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 19, 2022 in just his fifth start. Across 15 career starts has two wins, two poles, 66 laps led, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.8.
• With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.
• Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
• Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts has nine wins, 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
• Corey Heim’s No. 51 Crescent Tools Tundra TRD Pro:

KBM-62: The No. 51 Crescent Tools team will unload KBM-62 for Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol. This Toyota has two starts in 2022, a third-place finish with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April and a fifth-place finish with Heim at Indianapolis Raceway Park. KBM-62’s best result across 10 starts was a runner-up finish with Busch at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in 2021.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected four wins, five poles, 534 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.7 across 31 starts at Bristol. Smith won last year’s race at Bristol. Owner-driver Kyle Busch collected the first three of his organization’s victories at the half-mile oval, winning the Camping World Truck Series race as a part of his historic Bristol Sweeps in 2010 and 2017 and he also won the 2013 event.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• With 40 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

 Speedco Begins Stretch of Three Races at Bristol

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 13, 2022) – Zane Smith enters the ‘Round of Eight’ this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and looks to clinch his spot in the championship four early with a win.

Smith, who has already captured three wins in 2022 and crowned the Regular Season Champion at the start of the playoffs, is ready to tackle the ‘Last Great Colosseum’ and punch his ticket to Phoenix.

“Bristol is a really fun racetrack but can also be very unforgiving,” Smith stated. “This is where the consistency that our team has shown all year can really pay off. Hopefully, we can win this weekend and solely focus on Phoenix and not worry about Talladega in a few weeks.”

Speedco, an anchor partner for the No. 38 truck team, returns to Bristol to kick off the first of three races where they will be the primary partner for Zane Smith.

“Speedco has been a tremendous partner this year,” said Smith. We’ve been able to deliver them three wins so far this year, and we have three more races to try and deliver them more. I hope we can get that started this weekend at Bristol.”

Smith and the No. 38 Speedco Ford F-150 will race Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

About Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: UNOH 200, Race 20 of 23 (Race 1 of 3, Round of 8)
200 Laps – 55/55/90; 106.6 Miles
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Half-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Sept. 15, 2022, at 9:00p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’chek’ the Facts:

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team will roll into the first race of the Round of 8 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway with momentum on their side. The 25-year-old driver earned his sixth pole award of the year at Kansas Speedway last weekend before sweeping all three stages in route to his second win of the season. With the points reset for the Round of 8 and the additional seven playoff points earned at Kansas, Nemechek is currently the third seed and sits 11 points above the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

The second-generation driver will be making his eighth career start at The Last Great Colosseum in Camping World Truck Series competition. He has finished inside the top 10 in six of those starts, including four third-place finishes (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021). In the Xfinity Series, he has two top-five finishes across three starts, including a third-place finish in the fall race in 2019. He finished inside the top 20 in both of his Cup Series starts in 2020, with a best result of 13th coming in the May race.

Nemechek continues to pace the field and leads all Truck Series regulars in average starting position (6.4), poles (six), average running position (8.344), and driver rating (107.0). He is also second in laps led (335) and fastest laps run (192).

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, an industry leader in commercial fire protection since 1946, will serve as the primary sponsor for Nemechek at Bristol Motor Speedway. Pye-Barker, who acquired Nemechek’s long-term partner Fire Alarm Services in 2021, will also serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (11/4).

Nemechek is a 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returned to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 143 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled eight poles, 1,533 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3.

Eric Phillips returned to lead the No. 4 team in 2022. His 44career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 34 of those coming while at KBM including five last year. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the first team in Truck No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. At Bristol, Phillips has 11 starts with one win coming in 2010 when Kyle Busch led a race-high 116 laps driving KBM’s No. 18 Tundra in the first leg of his historic weekend sweep. Phillips has also registered two Xfinity Series triumphs at The Last Great Colosseum, in 2017 with Busch and in 2018 with Ryan Preece.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
Do you feel like you have to win one of the races in the Round of 8 to advance to the Championship 4?
“There are four drivers that advance, so the obvious answer is that there will be at least one that will advance by points. So, I think it depends on who wins those three races and where they are at in the point standings. Do I feel like we have to win to get in? No, but I want to win to get in. Winning early in the round and punching your ticket to Phoenix early is obviously better, so looking forward to going to Bristol and trying to do that. We have some momentum on our side and a lot of good things aligning for us. I definitely think it is going to be tough to get in if you don’t win, but I think that there is a chance.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

• 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 142 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled eight poles, 1,533 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3. Registered a career-high and series-leading five victories in 2021, earned the NCWTS Regular Season championship and finished third in the final standings after qualifying for the Championship Four for the first time in his career.
• Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
• Across 65 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled two wins, one pole, 510 laps led, 17 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3.
• John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro:
• KBM-58: The No.4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team will unload KBM-58 for Thursday night’s race at Bristol. Nemechek has raced this Tundra three times in 2022, picking up two top-five finishes at Martinsville (April) and its most recent outing at Richmond in August. In 2021, Nemechek piloted KBM-58 to three wins, including leading a race-high 114 laps at Richmond en route to his fourth win of the year. Overall, KBM-58 has recorded four wins, three with Nemechek in 2021 and one with owner-driver Kyle Busch in 2019, 475 laps led, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 17 starts resulting in an average finish of 10.6.

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected four wins, five poles, 539 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.7 across 31 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Chandler Smith picked up the organizations most recent victory at the half-mile oval in 2021. Owner-driver Kyle Busch earned the other three wins for KBM, winning the Camping World Truck Series race as a part of his historic Bristol sweeps in 2010 and 2017 and he also won the 2013 event.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• The No. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: UNOH 200, Race 20 of 23 (Race 1 in the Round of 8)
200 Laps – 55/55/90; 106.6 Miles
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (0.5-mile concrete oval)
Date/Broadcast: Sept. 15, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Chandler Chatter:
Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite team head to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of Smith’s best tracks, for the opening race in the Round of 8. In last year’s event, Smith muscled his way past reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Shelden Creed on a restart with five laps remaining and then held off his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammate John Hunter Nemechek to collect his first career Truck Series victory in his 34th career start. As a 17-year-old, making just his third-career Truck Series start in 2019, Smith challenged for the win before finishing second to eventual series champion Brett Moffitt. In 2020, Smith went a lap down early in the race, but was able to recover and earn a fifth-place finish.

Smith punched his ticket to the Round of 8 with a win at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Smith dominated the middle race of the Round of 10, leading 176 of the final 177 laps, picked up the Stage 2 win and the victory and added six playoff points that have carried over to the Round of 8. The victory was Smith’s third of 2022 and the fifth of his career. Beginning with his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Bristol last September, he had produced five wins, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes across his last 24 starts.

The 20-year-old driver enters Thursday night’s contest second on the playoff grid, 15 points above the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4. The No. 18 team will unload KBM-52 for Thursday night’s race at Bristol, which is the same truck that won last year’s race at Bristol with.

The Toyota Racing Development product has produced three wins in 2022: the second race of the season at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, the regular season finale at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and the series last stop at Richmond. Across 19 Truck Series starts this season Smith has recorded eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He ranks first among Truck Series regulars in laps completed (2603), is second in average finish (8.7), average running position (8.722) and quality passes (603) and third in driver rating (103.0), laps led (334) and fastest laps run (182).

Smith made the playoffs last year in his first full-time campaign as the 10th seed. He advanced to the Round of 8 with a must-win victory at Bristol in the final race in the Round of 10. He found himself in another must-win situation in the final race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and saw his playoff run end when he finished fourth. As a consolation prize, he won the pole and swept all three stages in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

The Georgia driver earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September of 2021. Across 57 career Truck Series starts, the Toyota Racing Development driver had recorded five wins, one pole, 640 laps led, 22 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced eight victories at KBM since he joined the organization in 2020, including four with Smith behind the wheel. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have produced one win (Smith, 2021), two top-five and two top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.5 across four Truck Series starts at Bristol. In Xfinity Series action, his drivers have complied seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 7.8 across 13 races.

Safelite, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returned to KBM for a fifth season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra TRD Pro Tundra for 16 races this year, including Thursday night’s race at Bristol. Charge Me will serve as an associate sponsor on the bedtop of Smith’s No. 18 Tundra TRD Pro this weekend. Charge Me was founded on the principle that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution will require robust infrastructure support at all levels.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
As the defending race winner, how much confidence do you head to Bristol with?
“It definitely helps having a good notebook and knowing what works good there. Not only did I win last year, but in 2019 I nearly won. So, it’s a track I’m really comfortable with and looking forward to hopefully starting off the first race in the Round of 8 on a strong note.”

How important is it to start the Round of 8 off with a good result?
“It’s extremely important, especially with having Talladega as the middle race of the round. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make it to Phoenix, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes.”

Do you feel like you must win one of the three races in the round to advance to the championship 4?
“I don’t know if we have to necessarily win, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt and there is no better place to do it then Bristol. If you can win Bristol and lock into Phoenix with the way the schedule lays out this year, that gives you a lot of extra time to prepare for the championship round.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

• Across 57 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded five wins, 640 laps led, 22 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8.
• Earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.
• Has posted an average finish of 29.5 across two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2022, with a best result of 22nd coming at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
• Has collected 10 wins, 10 poles, 1894 laps led, 23 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.2 across 35 career ARCA Menards Series starts.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite Tundra:
KBM-52: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload KBM-52 for Thursday night’s race at Bristol. It is the same Toyota that Smith picked up his first career Truck Series victory with last September at Bristol. Smith also finished fifth at Bristol with this chassis in the 2020 Bristol race. This Tundra TRD Pro has raced twice this year, both dirt races, with a best result of 13th at Knoxville (Tenn.) Raceway.
KBM-52 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

• KBM drivers have collected four wins, five poles, 534 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.7 across 31 starts at Bristol. Smith won last year’s race at Bristol. Owner-driver Kyle Busch collected the first three of his organization’s victories at the half-mile oval, winning the Camping World Truck Series race as a part of his historic Bristol Sweeps in 2010 and 2017 and he also won the 2013 event.
• KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
• The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 26 career victories.

Thursday, September 15
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, 0.533-mile paved oval
Race: 20 of 23
Event: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (200 laps/106.6 miles)

Schedule
Thursday, September 15
Practice: 4:30 p.m. ET
Qualifying: 5:05 p.m. ET
Race: 9:00 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Monster Energy Ford F-150 

• Hailie Deegan enters Bristol Motor Speedway for the 20th race of the 2022 season — her 43rd career start in the NCWTS.
• In the series last outing at Kansas Speedway, Deegan fought to as high as 14th before a tight condition in the final stage rendered her to a 22nd-place finish.
• The Temecula, CA native has shown flashes at “The Last Great Colosseum,” earning a heat race win at the track’s dirt configuration earlier this season and scoring a sixth-place finish in a 2020 ARCA Menards Series appearance.
• Veteran Crew Chief Jerry Baxter is a former winner at the half-mile oval, hoisting the sword in 2019 with driver Brett Moffitt. Alongside his victory, the signal-caller has netted two additional top-fives and three top-10s.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

• Tanner Gray enters Bristol Motor Speedway for his 29th start of the 2022 season and the 68th NCWTS start of his career.
• Last time out, Gray came home 16th after a 10th-place qualifying effort at Kansas Speedway.
• The 23-year-old will be making his third appearance on the concrete configuration, with a best finish of third-place coming in his debut 2020 rookie campaign.
• Gray and Crew Chief Hillman Jr. enter Bristol for their first time paired together. The veteran signal caller has accumulated four top-fives and six top-10s at the half-mile oval.

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Dead On Tools Ford F-150

• Taylor Gray straps in for double duty as he makes his seventh NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2022.
• Gray has shown great promise in his limited NCWTS outings, coming within a few laps of a victory at IRP before contact took him out of contention. Last time out at Richmond Raceway, the Artesia, NM, had his best career NCWTS outing, netting a sixth-place finish.
• Gray has made one previous NCWTS start at Bristol Motor Speedway, coming home 29th in his his first appearance at the famous track. In ARCA Menards Series competition, Gray had a best finish of third in 2021.
• Crew Chief Chad Johnston has enjoyed several strong runs at the half-mile oval. In his Cup Series career, Johnston has earned five top-fives and nine top-10s.